Rebecca (1940)

Intro.

Aside from the posting rules on my blog, I don't really have a system for picking films.  Usually I just get into phases where I watch a lot of films by the same actor, actress, director or something.  But I can't always choose, especially since my sources of films are 1) my own collection, 2) my friends' collections, 3) whatever's on cable, and 4) the library.  Luckily I've been getting to know some fellow classic film fans and sometimes swap DVDs.  My friend Jen just lent me Rebecca, insisting that I had to see it.  I've always loved Hitchcock, so I settled down a few nights back and watched.

Overview 

Rebecca opens in Monte Carlo, where a pretty young woman (Joan Fontaine) meets rich, handsome widower Mr. Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) through her employer, the wealthy but annoying Mrs. Edyth Van Hopper (Florence Bates).  When Edyth takes ill, her young companion spends her time with Maxim, and the two begin a sweet romance.  It's a bit of a May-December love, but it's more than enough to make them both happy.  They marry and he returns with his new bride, the second Mrs. de Winter, to his grand estate, Manderley.  There is a shadow over the entire place, as the former Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca, drowned just off shore.  The second Mrs. de Winter can feel Rebecca's presence everywhere - her initials are on everything, the staff all seems to compare her to Rebecca.  Even Maxim has moods where he is cold and aloof.  Worst is the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson), who hates Mrs. de Winter as strongly as she loved (and still loves) Rebecca.  It seems that nothing Mrs. de Winter can do can make anyone like her and soon she grows even more shy and withdrawn, even considering suicide at one point (with coaxing from Mrs. Danvers that is).  One night a shipwreck off shore drags up Rebecca's sunken boat - the one she had died on and was never found.  Her body is onboard, which means that the body buried in the family plot had been misidentified.  An inquest begins and much bigger problems test the love of Maxim and his new wife.  Rebecca seems to have won for a time, but the story holds a few more unexpected twists and shocks than anyone expects.

Highlights 

The characters in this film are unforgettable.  The simple fact that our heroine, the shy, sweet girl who marries Maxim, has no name.  She is so overshadowed by Rebecca, she can't even claim a name other than "the second Mrs. de Winter."  That's a very powerful statement.  Nevertheless, she is the heart of this film - the audience can connect with her.  There's an entry on IMDb that says Olivier had wanted his girlfriend Vivian Leigh in the role, so he had been awful to Joan Fontaine.  Hitchcock used this to his advantage and told Joan that everyone on set felt that way - they all hated her.  He wanted to get her into the same frame of mind as her character and it must have worked - she is amazing!  Her leading man, despite how he may have acted off screen, is ever so charming and gentle with her as his bride, yet we can see the change come over him once they reach Manderley.  It's fine acting, subtle but moving.  And finally there's the amazingly evil Mrs. Danvers - what a villainous woman!  She reminded me a lot of Madame Sebastian from Hitchcock's film Notorious.  So stark, so chilling, I sure wouldn't want her mad at me!     

Okay, I know I geek out over every Hitchcock film's cinematography, but it's with good reason!  Rebecca is no exception - everything about it is beautifully orchestrated.  I loved especially how Manderley was filmed as Mrs. de Winter moved about it.  At times the shadows of light through the windows make it look like a church or a prison.  At one point we see her sleeping and the bars from the window are framed like a jail over her face.  She's trapped by this dead woman.  There are times when she is framed against massive structures like a giant iron-scrollwork window or the towering fireplace where she looks as small as she feels.  It's so well done, I can't really say enough.  Good framing and camerawork can tell more of a story than the actors, so when you combine those with such great talent as Olivier and Fontaine, you know it'll be a wonderful film.

Review and Recommendation
I loved this film.  It's smart, funny, and completely breathtaking.  It'll have you on the edge of your seat.  I highly recommend it to everyone, not just because of the suspenseful story or great acting, but for an example of film making at its finest.

P.S. I should note that this film was based on the book by Daphne du Maurier and comes highly recommended by my friend Catherine.  She also confirmed that the wife was unnamed in the book as well.  Thanks, Catherine!!

Suspicion (1941)

Intro.
I didn't plan to watch a lot of Hitchcock films, but the more I've watched Cary Grant in Hitch's films, the more I love them.  Suspicion was definitely my favorite so far.  I had read a lot about it previously in a few film classes, mainly because it is a prime example of everything Hitchcock did - the camera work is phenomenal, the story is filled with complexity and the characters are deep and well developed.  The special effects are wonderful too, especially the "glowing" glass of milk. 

Overview
Shy intellectual Lina (Joan Fontaine) mingles with the elite crowds of England, going on fox hunts and to balls, but she is afraid of turning into an old maid, a fear her parents have accepted as fact.  So when the charming, gorgeous Johnnie swoops into her life, she falls for him.  In less than two weeks they are married and off to an elaborate honeymoon all over Europe.  When they return to their new mansion, Lina is shocked to find that Johnnie hasn't a cent to his name and abhors the idea of working for a living.  He would rather gamble and take his chances.  The rest of the film focuses on the strain this financial trouble takes on their relationship.  Johnnie, who is obsessed with murder mysteries, starts to become fascinated by poison.  After Johnnie's close friend (and financial business partner) dies, Lina begins to fear that she too will become a victim.  Every move Johnnie then makes she suspects as a possible move to murder her.  It all ends with an incredibly terrifying drive along a cliff and well, let's just say the ending will leave you shocked.

Highlights
As I wrote above, the cinematography is incredible.  The interior of Johnnie and Lina's mansion is shot with lights flooding in through "windows" - we can see the outlines of windowpanes.  In the main foyer, the round window above makes Lina look as though she's trapped in a web, very appropriate for her growing suspicion.  And that famous glass of warm milk that Johnnie brings her (which may be poisoned) glows.  I saw on a documentary once that they had to light the milk from beneath in order to get it just the right glow.  Hitchcock has it beautifully framed too, as Cary Grant switches off the hall light and all you see is that glass of milk.  Even if it was harmless, we as an audience are just as freaked out as Lina. 

Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for this role, and she definitely deserved it.  Her character remains shy throughout the film, but where we initially saw her as completely given over to Johnnie, she quickly grows wary of his gambling and then his interest in murder.  Most impressively, we see just how hard it is for her to put on good face when interacting with the other townspeople.  She must pretend to be the gracious, grateful wife no matter what.  Hitchcock also does a great deal to really build the suspense so that as Lina's suspicion grows, ours does too - the entire film is from her point of view, so we see and hear what she does. 

Cary Grant needs recognition too.  Even though he wasn't nominated, he should have been.  I had my doubts going into this film that anyone could ever believe he could commit murder.  But boy did I believe it!  The traits Lina (and we as the audience) initially found charming grow into annoying and then almost mean.  His tone becomes more sharp and his actions more mysterious.  There's one shot where he stands in Lina's doorway as she's in bed and he looks like, well, he looks like a murderer.  A lot can be contributed to Hitchcock, but I know that any other actor would've had a harder time (trying to picture Jimmy Stewart in this role is ridiculous).  He pulls it off.  Best of all, when the ending is explained (and we realize the truth along with Lina) you can't help but feel your heart wrench.  I got so into the film that I said, "I can't believe I didn't see that!"  Of course I didn't see it, because I was watching from Lina's view point and she didn't see it either.  I won't say any more because I don't want to ruin it, but the end is truly amazing.

Recommendation
I could write a 20 page paper on why this movie deserves the title of "classic."  It's a rich experience and I highly recommend it.  It's one of the best mystery/suspense films I've seen, and definitely one of the best of Hitchcock.  It's a very close second to my favorite Hitch film, Rear Window.  I even want to watch it again, something I rarely think about when I see murder mysteries.  There's so much to see and consider that it has to be on your must-see list (if it isn't already!)